An energy puzzle: conservative governments with high solar capacity but with low climate-mitigation policy

Abstract In the US, some states have achieved a high level of utility-scale generation capacity for solar energy, but they have done so without an active renewable portfolio standard (RPS) or other mandatory energy-transition or climate-change mitigation policy. Two types of comparative analysis are used to address this puzzle and to derive insight into types of policy that could be more acceptable in conditions of conservative party control or strong opposition. First, states that retained their high position or achieved a leading position over a ten-year period are compared with those that suffered a declining position from high achievement. Most of the states in the first group did not have Democratic Party control of the legislature for more than half of the ten-year period. States in the first group also tended to have lower electricity prices, population density, and interconnection times. Second, the subset of these states (all with Republican Party legislative control) that had no RPS policy was examined. In addition to demand from large institutional customers, the analysis identified three types of policies that were acceptable to the conservative state governments: ratepayer-funded infrastructure development for long-term cost reduction, local authority for siting policy, and voluntary standards and goals. The results have implications for the general literature on energy-transition policy and more specifically for research on policies that can be more acceptable where there is increased political contention over energy policy mandates. The conclusion also provides suggestions for governments that wish to respond to growing contention over energy-transition policies.